Videos

KPcam webcam on the flank of Mauna Loa looks south towards the summit of Kīlauea to monitor the gas plume from the active lava lake. This time-lapse video shows a typical day for the summit plume. Clear views in the night and morning show the low, ground-hugging plume carried to the southwest by the tradewinds.

The lava lake remains active in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This video shows the inlet where lava from the western fissure is supplied to the lake. The motion of the lava stream is sluggish, and this video is shown at 20x speed.
 

This thermal video shows the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava is supplied from the western fissure, in the upper left portion of the video. Small vent openings atop the western fissure exhibit rhythmic gas puffing. The video is shown at 5x speed. 
 

This time-lapse sequence shows the growth of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The sequence starts on December 28, about a week after the start of the eruption and ends on March 10, 2021. The lake rises rapidly at first but then eventually slows down as the eruption rate gradually declines.

This timelapse sequence shows several hours of activity in the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Between March 5-7 a small lava pond developed near the vent. At approximately 1 pm on March 7, the levee of the pond collapsed, allowing the pond lava to drain into the main lake.

A routine helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's East Rift Zone allowed Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists to conduct an updated visual and thermal survey. This video is shown at 5x speed, and moves from west to east. At the western end of the region affected during the 2018 eruption, steaming remains in residential areas west of Highway 130.

A routine helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's East Rift Zone allowed Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists to conduct an updated visual and thermal survey. This video is shown at 2x speed and circles Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, the vent region for the East Rift Zone eruption between 1983 and 2018. No major changes were observed in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Visual photographs taken during helicopter overflights of Halema‘uma‘u Crater are used to create 3D models of the crater. This technique is called structure-from-motion photogrammetry and uses the multiple perspectives captured in dozens of photos to reconstruct the crater shape.

A routine helicopter overflight of the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea on March 4, 2021, allowed HVO geologists to conduct an updated visual and thermal survey. This video is shown at 5x speed and follows the new coastline created during the 2018 eruption in the Kapoho area.

This video clip shows the inlet zone where lava enters the lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. 
 

This video shows a close-up of the small inlet where lava enters the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet consists of a small upwelling zone, with lava rapidly developing a thin flexible crust as it moves away from the source.

On February 11, 2021, no major changes were observed at the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet site where lava is entering the lake had a small upwelling zone raised slightly above the surrounding lake surface. 

An overflight today provided aerial views of Kīlauea's ongoing summit eruption. No major changes were observed at the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater. Active surface lava is still largely limited to the western portion of the lake. Snow on Mauna Kea can be seen in the distance.
 

This video clip from February 4, 2021, shows the erupting west vent and the growing lava lake within Halema'uma'u. The start of this video focuses on the active western portion of the lava lake, which measured approximately 212 m (696 ft) deep at this time. A plume of volcanic gas is seen rising continuously from the west vent.

Eruptive activity continues at the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This video was taken on February 1 from the morning helicopter overflight. The western fissure supplies lava to the lake at an inlet site along the west lake margin. Activity has been stable in recent days with no major changes.
 

Eruptive activity continues within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The western fissure continues to supply lava into the lava lake, with active surface lava largely confined to the western portion of the lake.
 

Because Mauna Loa has been quiet for almost 30 years, residents may not be aware that Mauna Loa is an active volcano. When Mauna Loa erupts, it is capable of disrupting lives and commerce throughout the Island of Hawai‘i. What can we learn from Mauna Loa’s past eruptions?

Cyclic fluctuations in eruptive vigor were present recently at the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The cycles occurred on January 22 and 23, with cycles lasting 5-6 minutes. Peaks in the cycles were expressed as high flow rates in the channel and spattering at the vents. During troughs in the cycles, the channel became nearly inactive.

Flames have been observed numerous times at the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The combusting gas is not certain, but flames were observed numerous times in Halema‘uma‘u during the early 1900s lava lake.

On December 20, 2020, an eruption began in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea Volcano’s summit, ending a two-year eruptive pause. The water lake that appeared at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u in late July 2019, which had grown to be over 50 meters (55 yards) deep and more than 10 acres in surface area, quickly vaporized and was replaced by a growing lava lake.

This video shows the two main vents active at the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit, with both supplying lava to the lava lake. Low fountaining was present at each vent.